Hannah prayed for years.

She prayed year after year for a child. She was desparate for a child and her desparation led her to pray. Her desire for a child motivated her to go to the Lord and pray that he would provide for her.

1 Samuel 1 records that God heard her prayer and answered it. She had a son and named him Samuel. He was the answer to her prayer and grew up to lead God's people and anoint their first king.

The story of the birth of Samuel reminds us of two important spiritual truths.

1. God is faithful. God heard Hannah's prayer and answered it. God promised her a son through his servant Eli and God kept his promise.

God was faithful over 3,000 years ago to Hannah and he remains faithful today. He doesn't make false promises. He doesn't let his people down. He doesn't fail his people.

The Triune God keeps his promises to his people and that is good news for you today. He promises to forgive your sins, remove your guilt, grant you forgiveness, and give you his peace. Those are promises he makes. Those are promises he keeps.

2. Grace leads to gratitude. Samuel was a gift to Hannah. She did not earn him from God and she could never pay God back for him. So how did Hannah respond when God gave her Samuel?

She gave him back to the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:28 says, "I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord."

Hannah knew that the proper response to God's grace is gratitude. She knew that Samuel belonged to the Lord and so she devoted him to God.

That principle applies to you today. Do you know the grace of God in Jesus Christ? Do you know that God's gift to you is his only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?

If you know that, then the proper response is to live a life of gratitude - giving back to the Lord everything you have because you know that everything you have is a gift from God.